


Cat-alyst

by TheRosenBones



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Feels, Bad Puns, Character Study, Courage, Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls, Dysfunctional Family, Family Issues, Heroism, Identity Reveal, LetAdrienEat2016, Magical Realism, Plotty, Self Confidence Issues, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teenagers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, What it means to be good, friends are the best therapists, real life tragedies mentioned; tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-21 15:38:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6056962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRosenBones/pseuds/TheRosenBones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alya was a smart girl. She could tell that Adrien was slowly losing it. Between the endless photos, family drama, and all of his extra classes... it seemed like he needed a good friend. A GIRLfriend, to be precise. They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. What better way for a baker's daughter to land Paris's resident teen celebrity?<br/>In which: life is obscenely hard but friends are awesome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. C'est la vie

**Author's Note:**

> Miraculous Ladybug really struck a chord in me. There are so many overtones about confidence and family stuff and... uuuggh. It hit me right in the feels and hasn't let go.
> 
> This story is dedicated to children of divorce and to children who are afraid to express who they really are. It's rough, I know. But no matter your situation, you are MIRACULOUS.

Adrien sighed for what seemed to be the thousandth time that night.

All Plagg wanted to do was just roll over and _sleep_ , but the stupid teenager was loud. It was almost like the kid had no concept of sharing a room with someone. Just as he was about to blurt that thought out, his mouth shut with a quick click.

To be fair, Adrien never had anyone else in his room besides the occasional maid and Natalie.

Frowning, Plagg scanned the room with a more critical eye. There was almost every flavour of video game consoles, including some vintage arcade machines. Hundreds of books lined the walls. It was all to keep a child entertained and quiet, but… alone.

It was a small wonder, (no, _miracle_ ), why Adrien didn’t end up like Chole. His pain was internalised, turned inward by the threat of “image” that his father strictly imposed. He had to be the model child; seen, but not heard.

Plagg had known. He saw the child turning into a young man who wanted to be free; someone who had a good heart and capability to do good. All that was stopping Adrien was his _name_ , rather than he himself.

But Plagg had no idea how to really fix the problem of sleepless Adrien without a good night-time romp around the city, and they both really weren’t up for that.

It was two in the morning, after all.

“Hey,” the small god growled.

A huff answered him.

“I know you’re awake.” Plagg purred, rolling over to look at Adrien.

“Go to sleep, Plagg. I’m not getting up to get you snacks.”

The black cat gave mocking huff back. “No. The better question is what’s _eating_ you?-I can’t fall asleep if you’re moping around like that. You’re sighing more than a lovestruck maiden.”

The kwami could easily see the boy’s instant flush in the darkness. Perks of being a cat.

“Nooo,” Adrien sighed, covering his face with his hands. “Well, not really.”

Plagg blinked slowly, one eye at a time, in the manner that felines normally do.

“It’s just… I like Ladybug. A lot.”

The kwami snorted. “That much is obvious.”

“-But she’s a superhero too. We can’t be involved; it’s too dangerous. Whoever or whatever is responsible for these attacks could use a relationship against us.”

Plagg didn’t answer immediately. He wasn’t naturally a tactful person, but it needed to be said somehow.

“So don’t love her.”

The boy bolted upright. “What? But. I just can’t stop loving someone!”

“Are you sure it’s even love, obsession, or escapism? You’re sixteen; people fall out of love all the time.”

“ _Don’t remind me._ ” The boy punched a pillow in the pretense of fluffing it. “Giselle Agreste. Missing. Probably ran off with a younger man, abandoning ship when it got too hard. She was closer to me than she was to dad, but even I don’t know where she went. How could I not know that Plagg?-I am acutely aware of how love falls apart despite promises, resolutions, compromises. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Though… I just... just…”

The room felt heavy and cramped despite its size.

“You just want to be close to someone and have it ‘work out’?”

“ _Yes.”_

“You’re young, handsome, rich, and terribly famous. There’s plenty of girls that will gladly make you happy, romance and all.” Plagg smirked. “You just have to pick one.”

“But none of them are Ladybug!”

“How do you know? Who’s to say that your partner isn’t just an average girl, hmm?-Maybe that’s why she wants to keep her secret to herself. So, why not live a little? Be more open to the idea of someone else. Unmasked, there’s a chance you might end up winning the heart of Ladybug herself.”

“Plagg?”

The god hummed and looked up. His eyes were the only discernable thing in the darkness.

“You’re a genius.”

Adrien was up for a good two hours more with continued fussing, but Plagg didn’t have the heart to tell the kid to settle down.

The boy was still smiling when he finally fell asleep.

(๑ↀᆺↀ๑)

 

Adrien tried not to giggle at the title of the document as he opened the PDF on his tablet. It would be out of place, considering the various groans in the classroom. _More_ work. Bleh. Although...  The project itself was simple: create a slide show demonstrating various catalysts in real life examples.

But the _pun_ , though.

“This is an individual assignment that doesn’t require much in terms of equations. I know that there are other end-of-year projects planned that are going to be rather time consuming, so I figured that I’d give you something easy. Just make a nice presentation and you’ll get a passing grade.”

He twirled his stylus, making it clink against his Miraculous. What to do?-cars were the easy solution. If they used petrol, they had a catalytic converter. Maybe he could include a picture of a Cat-a-lac? Cadillac. Heh.

Man, he was out of it. Between the extracurricular classes, photoshoots, and swinging across the Parisian skyline chasing after villains, late night revelations... poor kid was drained.

Nothing a few cups of fancy coffee couldn’t cure. Though they helped his body stay awake, his brain had checked out hours ago.

The pen made a few more rotations as the teacher went on about copywritten images and linking to sources.

Click… click click.

His eyes slid lazy to his ring. Cat puns. Catacysm.

Oh. Well, that would be a unique topic. Though the origin was magic, maybe he could apply science to it? His signature move caused iron to rust. Maybe Chat had the power to create catalysis...si? What even was the plural of that word?

That time, his diaphragm did bounce with a silent laugh as his pen slipped between his fingers and clattered over the side of the desk.

Whoops. He was losing his _touch._ (Get it?-because he had to touch the object to make it-…)

And his mind, apparently.

Sighing heavily, he leaned over to see where that damn pen went. So clumsy. If he didn’t get his act together, he could put Ladybug in serious danger. All it took was a little slip at the right moment and she could get hurt because he was too tired to think straight.

Grumbling, he realised that he couldn’t find the stylus anywhere.

“A-Adrien?”

Startled, he shot upright, earning him a solid smack on the corner of the desk. OW.

Groaning, he turned around and shot Marinette a look that she absolutely didn’t deserve. The girl withered under his glare, becoming even smaller. 

Adiren blinked, schooling his expression into a neutral smile. Wordlessly, she handed him a stylus. His stylus.

“It. Uh. Landed back here?” Her question steady got higher in pitch,

He swallowed thickly. First day of Operation: Bug Catcher and he had already fucked it. Marinette look terrified. Adrien gave a sheepish smile and took the stylus back with a shaking hand. The other worried the back of his neck, fluffing his hair.

Alya was already staring at him like he had a story to tell. Great.

“You alright there?” she leaned over the desk, speaking low so the other students wouldn’t hear. Although she was too interested in the local superheroes for his comfort, she had a surprising knack for subtilty. Sometimes.

“Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping well lately. My schedule’s been a bit hectic.”

“If it’s been bugging you-” Nino began as he turned in his seat. Adrien held back a snort. So many secret puns! ”Why not just ask your dad to cut back on the modeling? You are busy enough as it is dude. Just say you want to focus more on your schooling.” The teen smiled. “More time to spend with us!-More time to be a kid! You know what they say, time flies and all. You should be able to enjoy high school like a normal kid.”

“Enjoy high school like a normal kid?-no normal kid enjoys this.” Alya giggled, swatting the bill of Nino’s hat playfully.

Adrien couldn’t help but smile back at the three of them. Marinette was practically glowing as they happened to make eye contact. It seemed like he was forgiven for his momentary lapse.

“I do, though.” he said reverently. “Because you’re here.”

Adrien didn’t miss the blush on Marinette’s cheeks. Nor did he miss how it highlighted the smattering of freckles over her the bridge of her nose.

He made a mental note to get Plagg the stinkiest, smelliest cheese he could find.


	2. The beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #BESTIES

Thankfully, after the weekend project was announced, the rest of the class time turned out to be a study hall. Alya thanked her lucky stars, (and Ladybug phone charm), for the small break. It made the unexpected heart-to-heart conversation slide into background noise.

She was known for being nosey, but she could be subtle if she wanted. The last thing she wanted to do was make Adrien uncomfortable by drawing attention to his somewhat break down. He usually had it together, despite how crazy his star-studded life was. It must be really getting to him; the normally quiet teen was fidgeting bad. His knee was bouncing non stop under the desk as he twirled his pen yet again. Completely lost in thought.

Alya glanced at Marinette from the corner of her eye. Although the girl seemed okay, her hands were shaking slightly as she fiddled on her tablet.

Smiling softly, Alya sighed. The poor girl had it bad for Adrien, and his whiplash emotions certainly didn’t help Marinette’s shyness. Hell, even Alya didn’t know what to make of his sudden expressiveness. It just wasn’t like him.

She pressed a hand to her lips, jotting down a note on an instant messaging program designed for pictures rather than words. It made passing notes incredibly easy; no paper for the teacher to confiscate.

[You okay there girly?-Has your blush returned from the war?  
I s2g your face couldn't get any redder.]

[Shut it memetrash. you've been blogging 2 much  
That was slick as hell and I don’t think  
he even realised what he was doing.  
Like wow, can you not? My heart can’t take this.]

 

Alya snorted.

[I know. That’s why I’m checking up on you.  
Speaking of, we should have Nino follow up on his idea.  
Get the poor boy some sleep. Hang out with us more.  
He doesn’t look too good.]

[Gasp! He always looks good,  
thank you very much.  
But no, I get what you mean.  
He’s not normally this…  
Hyper?? Does that make sense?  
Usually he’s a cool cucumber that just  
rolls with everything.]

[No. Wait. I got it.]

[Tell me your theories, ladyblogger!

I neeeed to know.]

[I think he’s slap happy.  
Adrien is secretly as bad as you are  
without some good R&R for the soul.  
But it’s hidden behind Mr. Model boy.]

[I wouldn’t wish my excitable  
tendancies on anyone. That’s just  
cruel and unusual punishment.]

[Tendencies*]

[Fuck you too, ms. journalist. <3  
I was going to try and finish this  
assignment early, but you haadddd  
to gossip about my favourite topic  
and now I'm blushing again.  
I hate you.]

[ ★~(◡ω⊙✿) ]

 

Alya looked over to her friend to find that she was already glaring at it. Although, it was rather harmless considering it was more of a smile and pout combined into one. The cherry-red cheeks was the metaphorical cherry on top. She looked ridiculous, and so, so adorable.

Alya snorted and penned down the thought.

 

[If you’re trying to look mad,  
it’s not working. #epicfail  
#soprecious #cinnamonroll]

 

Alya left it at that and got to work on her own project. Maybe she could do a piece on traditional blackroom photography? A few searches and articles later turned into researching high-frame rate cameras with ridiculous zoom capabilities and…

Before she knew it, the next period’s teacher walked into the room and began setting up. So much for being productive. Although, the idea of being a combo professional photographer and journalist sounded interesting. Double the work opportunities. Besides, there was always wedding photos.

She smiled fondly. She could take the engagement photos for Marinette, and in turn, Marinette could make Alya’s wedding dress.

Before she could send that thought to Marinette, the teacher cleared his throat. It wasn’t their usual professor for this period. In fact, it was the Elective Humanities teacher that also ran the arts department for the Upperclassmen. He was a classically handsome man, maybe in his early thirties; tall, chiseled Roman features with a hint of English paleness. His dark hair was always slicked back, and his facial hair was neat and austere, down to the slightly curled moustache. It didn’t help that he had three Masters degrees.

Mr. Boniface was the stuff of spicy teacher-student fantasies.

Alya couldn’t help but chuckle as Chloe leaned forward in her seat with a slightly dazed expression.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a reason why you were given such a light workload in your other classes. This is going to be a two-month project, maybe more. It’s technically an end of the year final, but we wanted to give you enough time to complete it.”

The students settled in their seats, watching with both parts fear and curiosity. Something that big meant it was worth a lot of their grade, and it was never something fun.

Never.

“Schools all over major cities are doing this, so don’t feel alone in your misery. Besides, it’s not nearly as frightening as you all expect. Françoise Dupont is taking part in an international project to celebrate students’ talents and diversity. You all will be assigned into groups of four based on seating arrangements, starting with you four.” He gestured to Alya and Nino.

Alya couldn’t help but shoot a look over to Marinette. Poor girl was practically vibrating in her seat. The rest of the students had mixed reactions. Chloe was glaring at them, but Juleka and Rose had matching grins.

“Your assignment is to make a presentation about something handmade and French. Every aspect of this project has to be student-made; you can’t simply go to a gift shop or buy postcards. The more creative you are with this, the better your grade will be. Each step of your process must be documented, as the grades will be given individually. If someone isn’t pulling their weight, make it known in your notes.”

Something beeped, causing Adrien to twitch weirdly out of Alya’s peripheral vision.

“...my apologies, I thought my iWatch was set to silent.” Mr. Boniface sighed, bringing up his wrist so he could read the message. He sighed, folding his arms. “I have to go make the announcement to the other grades, but feel free to use the rest of this class time as a study hall. I will be back Monday to give a more thorough outline in terms of progress notes and what we are looking for. We just wanted to prep you for the weekend so your groups had time to meet.”

The class sat in stunned silence. Although it did sound a bit intimidating, there was no way it could be that easy. Two months? It had to be worth so much of their grade if it had that much of a time limit… not to mention, international attention.

Oh god, this was going to be a nightmare.

“Don’t look so scared,” Mr. Boniface smiled as he leaned against the threshold casually. “You have plenty of time… which, I am incidentally,” he winced, “Out of at the moment. Don’t fret!-please. Use the rest of this class for a study hall. Try to get as much work for your other classes as you can; that way we have more time to have fun with this.”

As soon as the door shut, the classroom practically exploded into a combination of whines and cheers.

Nino flipped around, smiling brightly at Alya.

“Ladies~.” he smiled. “What a pleasure it is to have such wonderful talent at my fingertips. This is going to be a breeze man. I mean, we have a professional model, a fashion designer, two children of well known chefs, and _moi_. There’s no way we can fail.” Nino winked at Alya.

She knew she shouldn’t have told him about Marinette’s crush. Or how she thought that Chat’s flirting was rather sexy.

It was her turn to be laughed at for her sudden blush.

_I hate you Marinette._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't lie, we all know Alya is a total yenta, grammar police, and meme trashlord all rolled into one loveable package.  
> Also, fun fact:  
> I write to music with my eyes closed so I don't get distracted by editing... which means I have a playlist. Incidentally, the song I picked for the feel of Marinette's angsty parts is beautiful, but I recently found out that the title of it is a euphemism for an orgasm.  
> #whoops  
> My French is rusty at best.  
> ...On that note, if anyone is interested in learning the language, I've been having a lot of luck with DuoLingo. It's not the best for straight beginners, but it's good practice if you want to watch the French raws like yours truly.  
> [much nerd wow very dork]


	3. Jinx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh god sorry for the delay. I've had a bit of trouble figuring out what I want to do for the plot. Hope my pacing isn't terrible?-I wanted to establish fuzzy feelings and the friend dynamic before we get into the actual story. :D

Nino was so glad that the last class of the day was a simple study hall. Sure, they had a huge project dumped on them, but it sounded hella fun. It was a great excuse to spend more time with his friends. Get Adrien socialised some more. Get closer to his friends. Use the most of their last year in high school. 

Okay, yes, they would have to do a lot of  _ work _ , but with partners like these? Breeeze.

Not only was it great that they had a good work ethics, but they were super creative. And talented. Adrien was famous. Marinette was famous. Alya was famous. Even he himself had been on TV!

It was the perfect storm for something amazing.

But… what would that be? Nino folded his hands together and pressed them to his lips. It was easier to think with his eyes closed; cutting out the visual distractions.

He sat like that for a good hour, seemingly asleep against the girls’ desk. Thinking. The ambient noise of the chittering classroom faded; he did his best work where there was sound.

Adrien had connections thruought Paris, but would he be willing to use them? Marinette knew Jagged Stone. Alya could meet up with Ladybug and Chat Noi-

Hm. Doing a Parisian-centered presentation on the two was authentic as you could get. No other city had magical superheroes!-at least to his knowledge. He thanked Alya again for being so persistent in her hobby. Sure, she took risks that made any sane person worry, but the news that she brought to the world was something straight out a comic book… How cool is that?

Lazily, he shifted his arms to pillow his head, looking at his teammates through hooded, somewhat sleepy eyes. Marinette was a master craftsman, through and through. Alya knew how to make amazing videos. He knew music. And Adrien was a model…If only there was some way to combine their talents.

His eyes flew open, staring at the ladies.

“Alya.”

Thunder clapped, punctuating his point. The girl’s eyes rose to meet his. At Nino’s silence, a single brow rose from behind her glasses.

“Alya.” he repeated.

She huffed. “Yes?”

_ “Ladybug. _ We do our project on Ladybug. _ ” _

Her face brightened at the mention of her favourite topic, her face split in two with a manic grin. Ladybug was her inspiration, borderlining on obsession. She could go on forever about it, if you let her. A high pitched squeal came from her smiling lips. Even Marinette fidgeted at her sudden enthusiasm, though she too smiled at the display.

“Yes?” Alya laughed. “I’m sooo behind that. It’s Paris’s favourite topic.” Her smile was infectious. Nino could practically feel Adrien perking up beside him, listening intently.

But the bell rang.

He groaned. Way to interrupt, school. Nino sighed, looking at the clock. It wouldn't be cool of him to suggest hanging out for the purpose of working on the project but…

His friends had his rapt attention, despite the fact that the other students were already packing their bags to leave. Their focus on him only made the decision easier. Besides, what better way to get Adrien out of his house?-suggest something productive and mature. It was going to be fun, sure. But.

“Hey, I know you guys probably want to go home, but why don’t we hang out and hash a game plan for the project?” Nino smiled at his main man over his glasses. It was obvious to see the Cheshire grin spreading, even with through the blurriness of his natural vision. Alya squirmed in her seat, eager to hear his master plan.

“Right.  _ Working on a project. _ ” Adrien chuckled. “What better way to worm me out of my schedule to hang out? Where too?-probably not my house, despite the fact that I really want to show you guys my room. Might be pushing it with my dad..”

Another roll of distant thunder echoed in the now empty classroom.

“It looks like it’s going to rain soon; how about Marinette’s house?” Alya nudged her friend in the side, and the poor girl blushed at the sudden attention. “It’s close, and your parents love stuffing our faces with delicious treats.”

Marinette giggled. “Sure, let me just, uh. Call them?” Shyly, she leaned over to carefully dig her phone out of her purse with shaking fingers. Dialing the number, she stood up to pace over to the window, looking out at the darkening skies.

“I should probably do the same,” Adrien sighed, reaching into his jeans for his own phone. “Even if I can’t go, you guys should hang out.” His smile was a bit self sacrificing, and Nino wanted to slap it off the model’s face. It didn’t suit someone that handsome to look so… sad all the time.

Nino wasn’t an outgoing person, but he could read the vibes of people quite well. It’s what made him an excellent DJ; feeling out what mood the crowd was in before he played his next work. And this?-this was painful to watch. The longing on Adrien’s face was well masked by years of schooling it to behave for a ‘look’ the photographers wanted. It broke Nino to see it now in the presence of friends. All the more reason for him to crusade for this kid’s happiness.

The blond, young man walked away from their group as the call connected. His posture immediately slipped into something more suited for a business meeting than a call to his legal guardian.

“Nathalie?” Adrien paced, a pleasant smile forced upon his face. “Hi--I was wondering if I was free this evening? We just received a large group project for our end of term. We are planning on starting it early in the event that our schedules don’t align well in the future.”

There was a moment of silence, and his facade fell into a worried expression. It was a vulnerable look, and the pacing became a bit more anxious. Step, step. Turn. Pause. Step. A look out the window. Waiting for a reply. Already bracing himself for bad news. 

“No, no. I understand. That was part of our agreement. I have been to this house before; Dupain-Cheng?--from the gaming tournament,”

He was broken off, interrupted. What kind of seventeen year old needed a contract-like agreement with their legal guardians? The more Adrien talked, the colder Nino became. Hell. Nino thought it was bad to have a bedtime still. But this? Oh man. How was Adrien even sane? He would have lost it long ago just with the extra studies alone.

By then, Marinette hung up the phone, watching the blond with the same pained expression as his own. It hurt all of them to see him like this. A practical part of Nino wanted her to see this. He knew she had a crush on his best friend, and that was fine. She was young. They all were, really. But in the three years they had known each other, Nino had come to know that she had a habit of perfectionism; fretting over the smallest things and putting people on pedestals… Adrien in particular. Marinette would agonise over every little action because it wasn’t ‘good enough’ for the model.

But all Adrien wanted was to fit in. Maybe if she saw that he wasn’t just a pretty face, they could actually be friends on their own and not use the group as a social crutch.

Because lord knows Adrien needed friends.  

Alya was right though, they tempered each other well. The past few weeks had been enlightening. The two had shared their lunch hours together when Adrien and Marinette left for home. It had spawned a camaraderie between them. They had talked about their mutual friends and coincidentally, become fast friends themselves. Both were like-minded in their goal.

Make their last year in high school a happy one.

“Yes, I know. But-” Adrien paced, cut off once again. “I can-”

It wasn’t looking good, and the rain against the wide classroom windows did nothing to help the atmosphere. Nino looked over to Alya with a wince. So much for their plan. They could only do so much to keep the group together when faced with the Agreste company. They were only teenagers, after all.

The journalist looked up from her tablet, meeting his gaze. She watched the scene for a moment, frowning as she realised how far south things had fallen. But her expression soon changed to one of enlightenment as she dove back to the computer with a vengeance.

Alya waved to Adrien, getting his attention. His brow rose in question, and the girl mimed something, tapping on the tablet.

His phone dinged.

“Hold on,” Adrien sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear to look at the screen. He too tapped it, reading quickly.

The smile that bloomed on his face was a complete 180 turn from seconds earlier.

“Are you there still?-good. I’m sending you a link to the project we’re doing. It’s covered on multiple social media websites.” He was cut off once more, but it was his turn to interrupt. “No, it’s not an amateur project. Just that it’s received enough attention to be all over Facebook. It’s lead by TED talks as a way to show world diversity through various schools in over a dozen countries.  _ That’s _ what I was asking to work on with my friends. We are planning to make a big statement for our city. What better way to sneak in some free advertising?”

The shit-eating grin he had was a new look, but Adrien wore it well. He was quiet for a moment, presumably allowing Nathalie to read over the information. However, the kid couldn’t sit still long enough for a reply.

“Is this acceptable?-I was going to say earlier that I can bring my bodyguard too, if it makes you feel more comfortable. However, it’s not necessarily needed. Her house is right down the street, and I can provide the names and numbers of her parents. As I have said, I have been there before and they are trustworthy people.”

Again with the formal language. Nino was tired of it. However, from the growing grin on Adrien’s face, Nino took it as a good sign.

Marinette quietly sat back down at the desk, putting her tablet into her bag. All of them waited, holding their breath.

“....yes, I’ll be back before sundown. I can ask her parents to walk me back?-save him from a trip. That way I’m with someone at all times.” There was a lot less pacing; his posture seemed more relaxed. More Adrien, and less Gabriel. He hung up, whirling around to face them with a huge, sunny smile.

“Should we run?-I didn’t bring an umbrella.” he smirked, looking at Marinette with a smirk.

The motion wasn’t lost on Nino, despite not knowing what it meant. He waived it off, laughing. “Are we running from your bodyguard again?”

“He already went home. Managed to convince my dad’s assistant that having you guys with me was enough. It’s just down the street, what could happen?-silly, right.”

They laughed awkwardly as they packed their bags. Within moments, they were outside in the light rain. It wasn’t cold, a summer shower of sorts, but enough to make their clothes damp and uncomfortable.

But Adrien wasn’t the avatar of bad luck for nothing.

Down the street, Notre Dam exploded.


	4. The Faithful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #boom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had lots of caffeine and some good music, and this happened. Just want to warn my readers: I don't update on any kind of regular schedule. It's more of a spur of the moment thing. I have a really hard time forcing myself to write if I don't have the right vibe going. That being said, we're getting into the parts of the story that I have planned out the most, so it should be easier. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Dust flew into the air, an oppressive cloud. It rushed towards them, nearly knocking Adrien to the ground. His hands flew to his face, covering his mouth and nose. Screams echoed from the shops around them as the glass blew out of the windows from the impact.

What the _fuck?_

He eyes stung. The smoke was a sickly yellow colour, and certainly couldn’t be good for their lungs. The world went dark as the sky above them filled with ash, and Adrien recognised what it was with a growing horror.

_“What makes the limestone of Notre Dame unique?”_

_“Courville stone tends to age an ochre colour.”_

Nathalie had taught him about it; every landmark in Paris was on her list. Beside him, he could hear his friends coughing, stumbling. Then, a rip of cloth.

He whipped around, following the sound. Alya was hunched over, tearing her flannel in two. She tied the fabric around her face. Right. Dust. It wouldn’t do much, but it was better than his hands. Adrien followed her example and shrugged his arms out of his own overshirt. He looked over to Marinette and was happy to see her doing the same with the black shrug she liked to wear.

“Nino!” Alya shouted. “Here, use this!”

The young man nodded as he took the flannel and copied her. “The hell is going on?” he yelled back at her, eyes wild under his thick framed glasses. “Is it an Akuma?”

“I don’t know!-I’ve never seen one like this before?!” Alya cried, reaching out for the group. “But we should get out of here. What if it’s just a bomber?-we could be in danger!”

Adrien swore. Just what he needed on his one day out with friends. Yes, his luck was shit. But this?-this was ridiculous. Still, this wasn’t the time to wallow. They needed to act. Chat Noir needed to investigate, but Alya had a point. What if this was a non-magical attack? There wasn’t anything he could really do besides help as damage control.

Yes, Ladybug might not be able to cure the disaster, but their assistance might be necessary. Saving lives was sort of their thing, Akuma or no.

But if Alya, the ever vigilant reporter who prided herself for being on-scene before the official news got there… was urging them to run _from_ danger…

It wasn’t often Adrien was a leader. He took direction and followed commands. There was enough spotlight in coming from a famous family. Yes, he was a model so being in the spotlight was a regular occurrence, but even then?-he liked to simply sit back and let the team tell him what he needed to do and do it.  There was less risk being a follower. No big decisions weighing down on your head. Less chance of having it all come back to bite you in the ass.

But he seriously doubted his friends had a house that doubled as a bunker. Nor did they have magical powers that protected them from danger.

Yes, it would be hard to get out of the mansion while it was under lockdown, but the old shower trick worked. Besides, covered in grime as they were, it was the perfect excuse. “We need to get to my house; dad’s paranoid and has a panic room of sorts if things go south. Once there, you can call your parents and let them know you’re safe. That is, if the phone lines aren’t damaged...”

“What?” Nino blurted. “A legit _panic room?_ What is he in the secret service or something?” His laughter was hysterical, far too forced to be real.

Adrien smiled under his makeshift scarf. This was the reason why he made jokes in the mask; stress was easier to deal with when you made it silly. “I know, right?-but we should _really_ get out of here.”

The group nodded in agreement. But Nino jogged ahead of him with smiling eyes. “I’ll be your bodyguard then. Guys, let’s group up around him and walk so we don’t get separated or twist any ankles. Make a game of it, secret service squad. We can do this, it’s not far.”

Marinette appeared at his side. Although she was petite, the stance that she adopted was strangely confident. A fighter’s posture; arms up. Ready for anything. It felt… familiar.

Fuck, where was Ladybug?-Adrien hoped that she wasn’t caught in the blast. He felt bad for leaving her alone to run solo for a while, but his friends were citizens that needed protecting too. She would understand.

He just hoped she was okay without him for a while.

With Nino taking point, the four of them began to stumble across the small chunks of debris in the street. As they got closer to his house, the size of the rocks increased. They were close, but it was hard to tell exactly where they were with the persisting cloud of ash.

Marinette fumbled, and he caught her elbow reflexively. “Careful,” he murmured, but he wasn’t sure he would be heard over the shouting of everyone around them. Faceless people ran about, covered in the same yellow as he was. It was like someone had dumped the whole world in the same colour of paint; navigating was difficult.

“Sorry,” she choked, but it wasn’t from inhaling bits of limestone, he could tell. “It’s just, my parents. Do you think they’re okay? We live close as well...”

His own throat tightened with sympathy. He loved Tom and Sabine. They were nice. Supportive. Adrien wanted to be like them some day. Seeing them both made his heart ache and burst simultaneously. He wanted that kind of love from his own parents, but it was impossible. But what they did give him as just a mere casual friend of their _daughter_ was… incredible.

He hoped to every deity that they were okay.

“I hope they’re okay. If they were in the bakery, the walls are much thicker. Even if they’re trapped, emergency services can get them out. Or maybe Chat Noir and Ladybug are already on the scene? And if you all need a place to stay, I’m sure my dad will welcome you.”

Her eyes watered, but he knew it wasn’t the dust.

“Besides,” Adrien continued. “I have plenty of leverage now; you guys stuck with me like bodyguards. That’s great bargaining material. This would have happened even if I took the car home, so he can’t say that being out with my friends caused me to be in danger.”

“How can you be so casual about this?” she blurted, but covered her mouth with her hand as soon as she realised how rude that sounded. The look was a bit comical, considering her shirt was in the way. “I mean, it’s admirable, but-”

“We have to keep calm so we don’t make any stupid mistakes. We can’t worry about the what-ifs or we’ll go crazy. Humor helps too, so thanks Nino.”

Nino gave a peace sign from over his shoulder, but didn’t take his eyes off of their surroundings. For such a goofy dude, he was serious about protecting his friends.

Adrien looked over at Alya and wasn’t surprised to see her filming, silent. Attentive. Making sure to catch as much as she could, both with her eyes and the camera.

He completely missed the look of understanding flash across familiar, bluebell eyes beside him.

“...you’re right, humour does help.” Marinette sighed as she stepped over a box that had been thrown into the street. “I’m sorry, though. I mean. I’ve known that you are cool under pressure. Remember when my uncle was possessed?-I’ve just been curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.” Adrien teased, waggling his eyebrows. So what if it was something a bit out of character for _him_ to say, but he wanted to brighten their sullen moods.

“You forgot ‘satisfaction brought it back’. Changes the meaning, _you know?_ ” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

It felt too natural for comfort. Too familiar. Dammit. Where was Ladybug? Then again, with everyone covered in the same dust, it would be hard to tell her apart from the random citizens running around them. There were cries of pain. Soul-wrenching sobs. It was hard to listen to, and he was infinitely grateful for the fact that Marinette and Nino were buffering the shock of it from him by just being… them.

There were a few people hunched over nearby, but the outline of their clothes matched the vests of the response team. Helmets. Tactical vests. A bit less dirty than theirs. Help was already here, it looked like.

Adrien let out a tense breath he hadn’t known he was holding. But. If they saw that they were heading towards the blast radius, they would stop them. Nevermind the fact that it was actually safer to stay there if there were more bombs around the city.

He pulled on the back of Nino’s shirt, urging him to slow down for a second. Like he predicted, Alya and Marinette came closer so that they could hear him. Perfect. Now he didn’t have to shout it to half the city.

“We can’t get helped by the police; they’ll want to take us to a station. My house is honestly safer, but you can go with them if you want, I’ll understand.”

Alya frowned, her arched brows narrowed with a fury he didn’t expect. “Are you an idiot?” she hissed. “I’m going with you. I can film on the way there since we’re heading in that direction. Plus, it’s like you said: your house is safer.”

“You’re stuck with us, bro. Sorry.” Nino shrugged.

“...Marinette?” Adrien looked over to ask, but she was staring resolutely at the rubble under her feet.

“Sorry. It’s just. I want to check on my parents, but. I also want to make sure all of you get to safety. I just…” she sighed heavily. “I just really, really hope they are okay. But you’re right. The authorities and Chat Noir are out there helping people.”

Fuck, why did she say just him?-Chat Noir _wasn’t_ out there. What if they needed him? No. No, he couldn’t think like that. He himself had just told her not to freak out, but here he was, screaming internally.

“Why just him?” he asked with a shaky laugh. “Do you have a crush on him or something?”

Oh lord, why was that the first thing that came to mind. Totally tasteless.

Her eyes widened at the comment and Adrien felt like sinking into the ground.

“No, it’s just.” she began, a bit dazed. “I don’t think a yoyo would help lift heavy slabs of building. He could use his staff like a lever, that’s all. But you’re right; let’s get going” By the end of what she was saying, she was laughing as they continued on.

Point: Adrien. At least he didn’t screw that up too terribly.But she did have a point. He filed that bit of technique for later. Because there would be a later. He would sneak out so help him god. There were people that needed him.

“Haha, yeah.” he chuckled nervously. “When you put it that way, it makes it obvious. Though, maybe Ladybug could use her yoyo like a pulley?”

“True. Or maybe a lucky charm a crane into existence. But her powers are never that straight-forward, are they?-I don’t think she gets to chose what pops out.”

“And they call me the fangirl,” Alya huffed. “You two have watched a lot more videos than you admit, don’t you?” she teased. “Go on, admit it. You might say that you didn’t see my updates, but Alya knows better now.”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Marinette began sheepishly. “Ladybug is your thing. I didn’t want to steal the spotlight by being a total nerd.”

“ _Spot_ light?” Adrien echoed. “If your crush Chat was here, he’d high five you for that” Oops. Too much like the hero in question. He had to tone it down a bit. “You know, because Ladybug’s suit has spots on it.” Explaining the joke made it less funny, right?

Nino’s head lulled back as he looked to the sky with an obvious, dramatic eye-roll. Even though Adrien couldn’t see his face, (or much anything, really), he could tell that’s exactly what it was.

“It’s not funny if you explain it,” he grumbled. Score.

“...you know, for a while I thought you were Chat Noir, Adrien.” Alya smirked beside him.

He froze for a moment, and nearly tripped at the all too accurate accusation. They stopped for a moment, concerned, but didn’t pick up on the real reason for his fumble. The road was a mess, after all.

“Why do you say that?” he asked cautiously. “If that were true, I’d have… zero free time. Oh jeeze.” Adrien sighed for the effect.

“That, and your humour is even worse than his. He may do puns, but… that was honestly just downright terrible.” Alya laughed, and patted his back. “Not only that, but you’re both blond and kind of the same height I think?-it was a silly idea I had when they first started showing up.”

“She had a whole list, man.” Nino grumbled. “She grilled me on it after we started hanging out. But you’d know I’d never betray you, right? She may be a scary, downright frighteningly good investigative journalist, but I got your back dude. No embarrassing secrets from this guy.” He thumped his chest proudly. “Secret Service Squad was a thing even before this.”

“Thanks?” Adrien shrugged, confused by this whole thing. He knew his friends cared about him, but it was almost surreal sometimes. But the shock wasn’t over yet.

“Besides, even if you were Chat Noir, I wouldn’t tell a soul. Bro’s befor-...well. You’re not, Alya. But you get the idea. Sorry, no offense. It’s a guy thing; we keep our mouths shut when it comes to personal things.”

“None taken, I get you.” she sighed. “I’m sorry for prying, but. The idea was cool!-knowing a superhero personally. Being best friends with someone that amazing of an individual would be…” Alya gestured, not having the words to describe the feeling.

“Right?” Adrien smiled, thinking of Ladybug. She would be a good fit for their group, he could sense it. She’d fit right in with these amazing people. “To be fair, I think you guys would make good superheroes too.”

Alya’s smile, though hidden, was like the sun. “You think so?-on what authority do you have to judge?”

“I know so.” he hummed, but it turned into a startled gasp when he realised just what the large thing in front of them was. “Wait, that’s the mailbox that’s right outside the gate. It couldn’t have been thrown too far; it was bolted into the pavement. We’re close. Let’s hang to the right a bit to see if we can find the fence.”

They drifted off as a group. Alya touched a column of masonry, running her hands over the rock. Parts were missing, but it stood still, at least.

“...I second Adrien.” Marinette murmured, coming over to stand next to her best friend. “I think you guys would make great heroes.”

Alya faltered for a moment, stepping back from the stone. “Maybe. I couldn’t keep it together if I had the responsibility of dealing with these attacks. It’s one thing to film it, I imagine it would be a whole other ball game to actually fight.”

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed quietly, running her hands where Alya’s had touched. She walked forward a few paces and gasped. “Adrien?-I think we’re here. The fence is… somewhat intact. Can’t see your house though...”

“It is a light colour, though, so it will be hard to see in this.” he reasoned, praying that the security was holding. Without waiting for his ‘guards’, he ran up to the main gate and was relieved to find that the keypad for entry wasn’t in pieces. Now, if it worked was another story entirely.

He punched in his mother’s birthday, and for a moment, nothing happened.

 _“...Adrien?”_ Nathalie’s broken and fuzzy voice sounded from the speaker.

“Yes!” he cheered. Her voice was incredibly distorted, but at least there was a connection. “We were away when it happened, but the roads were bad so we decided to come straight home. I have Marinette, Nino, and Alya with me. No injury. Can you open the gate?”

 _"Oh thank god,”_ came a male voice that Adrien didn’t immediately recognise.

….which was sad, considering it was his father.

He swallowed thickly as that depressing thought sunk in. Although, the relief in the man’s voice was palatable. That was something, at least.

_“She’s unlocking the gate now and will meet you at the back entrance by the gardens. The front door is part of the main security and doesn’t open unless I disable everything. But--are all of you alright?-have you called your parents?”_

That was the most Adrien had heard from his dad in several months. There were no bitter feelings, though. Instead he felt… warm. Tragedy brought people closer. Yes, he wished that there didn’t have to be an event of this scale just to hear it, but. It was nice. Everything would be okay because _dad was there_.

“No, we were waiting to get to a safe spot before we called, just in case there’s more.”

 _“Good, I’m glad. I’ll see you inside.”_ The line clicked, disconnecting.

“....are you sure that’s your dad?” Nino laughed nervously. “He didn’t seem to like me last time I was here.”

Adrien laughed, because thinking too hard about his heart was too painful. “At least,” he sighed as the gates opened. “....at least we’re okay. Everything will be okay.”

He should really know not to jinx himself by now.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Author's note of sorts.
> 
> ...I really hate doing these, but this is a must.

Miraculous Ladybug has been a huge inspiration to me, I’ve said this. Even though the lessons seem small, the show is a great positive influence to my daily life. I’m really happy to see work like this being made; it’s as educational as it is entertaining. With jokes, banter, and badassery, it teaches kids and adults alike how to be kind, honest, and humble. 

With this fanfiction, I wanted to explore the idea of a parable-like story and create something that is a bit more relevant to our world with current events. This year has been a roller-coaster of emotions in terms of racism and sexism. Using Miraculous Ladybug, the goal was to write a story about the heroes teaching people to be kind; it was going to be a lesson on how to be human.

I was going to use a terrorist attack that would incite racism. The enemy wasn’t Hawkmoth and his silly, but dangerous monsters. The enemy was hate itself. How do you fight a belief that violence is the answer?-certainly not more violence. I wanted to see Paris united; it was a sort of wish-fulfillment story of everyone learning to get along. 

Yet, the story hit a bit too close to home. I’m sure you all are aware of the events in France at the moment; it’s all over my newsfeed on Facebook. In light of this, I am uncertain that I want to continue this work.

Is it more respectful to end it here, or do you all think that this is exactly the time for me to write this?

I’m unsure what is appropriate. I’m so sorry for the delay, but it has been weighing in on my mind for a while as tragedies continue to pop up around the world.

Advice would be supremely appreciated. So would well wishes and prayers to those affected by these events.

With love,

Rose


End file.
